The bonfire blazed, the wood crackling as sparks danced up into the night sky and quickly died in the red glow of the Blood Moon.
The music was still playing.
The laughter continued.
But Yang Yong suddenly felt as though the temperature around him had dropped a few degrees.
He sat down, with Wang Ying on his left and Zheng Xiaofeng on his right.
"What was going on with those women?"
The moment someone spoke to him, Zheng Xiaofeng perked up and spilled everything that had happened that day.
"At noon today, while we were cooking, the guards suddenly sounded the alarm, saying a group was approaching on horseback in the distance."
"Wang Ying went up to take a look and came back saying they were all women."
"Captain Cao did a divination and said they were here to trade."
"They brought loads of beef and mutton."
"It wasn't just an advance party. There was a whole tribe behind them, driving herds of cattle and sheep and hauling huge sacks of jerky. They were clearly here to do business."
As Zheng Xiaofeng spoke, he handed over a roast leg of lamb.
"Here, we traded with them for this lamb."
"Try it. It's the real deal."
Yang Yong took it but did not rush to eat.
He turned it over several times to inspect it, then held it beneath his nose and sniffed.
It smelled like meat. Nothing unusual.
Seeing him act that way, Zheng Xiaofeng burst out laughing, snatched the leg back, and bit off a huge mouthful. His cheeks bulged as he said indistinctly, "You're always so suspicious."
"I watched Uncle Old Yang lead the others in slaughtering the sheep myself. How could it be fake?"
Yang Yong watched Zheng Xiaofeng chew, grease glistening all around his mouth, then